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Jewelry Workshops in the Frame of Modern Town Life in the Western Balkans: Cases of Shkodёr (Albania), Ulcinj (Montenegro) and Prizren (Kosovo)

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DOI 10.1285/i22804250v4i1p9

http://siba-ese.unisalento.it, © 2015 Università del Salento

Alexander Novik

Head of the Department of European Studies, Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography, The Russian Academy of Sciences, Saint-Petersburg, Russia.

Jewelry Workshops in the Frame of Modern

Town Life in the Western Balkans:

Cases of Shkodёr (Albania), Ulcinj

(Montenegro) and Prizren (Kosovo)

Abstract

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Albania jewelers proved to be competitive, keeping up the wide variety of goods and their proper quality appreciated both by citizens and seasonal tourists. Jewelry producers, though they are not numerous, can be still regarded as the influential stratum of population in Shkodёr, Ulcinj and Prizren.

Keywords: jewelry; craft; Albania; Kosovo; terminology; lexica.

For hundreds of years jewelry has been one of the most important crafts on the territory of the Western Balkans (Statovci 1982; Anamali, Spahiu 1988). The process of how the Albanians make golden and silver articles is one of the subjects of the researchers. During the fieldwork expeditions in the Western Balkans in the years of 1990-2013 the author has studied jewelry in Shkodёr, Prizren and Ulcinj (МАЭ № 1937), and these data helped to enlarge the number of sources concerning the subject.

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fig. 1 - Men ring. Silver, gold plated silver, colour glasses. Main technique: granulation. XIX century. Production: Shkodër, Albania. Collection of Bep

Lufi, jeweler from Shkodër, Albania. 2009. Photo of Alexander Novik.

fig. 2 - Women jewelry “Cross”. Silver, gold plated silver, white metal, silver coins, colour glasses. Main technique: filigree. XIX – beginning of the XX

century. Production: Shkodër, Albania. Collection of the Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography (Kunstkamera), Russian Academy of

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We can name several types of Albanian filigree technique. The most common is the so-called “telish kafazeli filigree” (Turkish – “fine wirework filigree”). For making filigree objects craftsmen traditionally use either nearly pure silver or copper-silver alloy1 in the ratio from 39:10 to 60:40 (Mitrushi 1977; Новик 1997а).

Albanian craftsmen produce not only filigree jewelry, but also ornamental on lays for weaponry (Fig. 3), smoking implements (Fig. 4), dishes, and interior decoration items (Tirta 2006).

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Fig. 4 - Box for cigarettes. Silver. Main technique: filigree. Beginning of the XX century. Production: Shkodër, Albania. Collection of Bep Lufi, jeweler

from Shkodër, Albania. 2009. Photo of Alexander Novik.

Museums of Albania, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Turkey, Italy, Russia and elsewhere hold many items produced by Albanian craftsmen. They have been actively used in the research concerning the phenomenon of Albanian filigree, and Albanian jewelry on the whole, though the scholars practically have not taken private collections into account, and those items can be a source of interesting and new material on this subject (МАЭ № 1861; МАЭ № 1862; МАЭ № 1936; МАЭ № 1937; МАЭ № 1987; МАЭ № 1988).

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We would like to focus on the mentioned three centers that have been very important for the whole Balkan region during a long historical period.

Till the beginning of the 20th century jewelry making was one of the most expanded crafts in the Western Balkan towns (Shkodra 1973; Statovci 1982; Gross 1987). In Shkodёr (Albania), Ulcinj (Montenegro) and Prizren (Kosovo) Albanian jewelers were consolidated into powerful esnafs (“guilds” < Arabic sünǘf-un) that not only possessed economical force, but also influenced social and cultural life in the town and its neighborhood (Shkodra 1973; compare to: Аджян 1979).

On the whole, crafts connected with metalwork (up to 20 % of the number of craftsmen) gave way only to leatherworkers and tanners (up to 40 % in different periods between the 17th and the beginning of the 20th cent.) (Shkodra 1973).

The industrialization of these centers (Shkodёr, Ulcinj and Prizren) impacted a lot on various craft guilds, but jewelry workshops managed to survive, retaining skills and traditions of the Balkan school of silver filigree and resisting the rush of cheap goods from Europe and Asia.

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Nowadays after the disintegration of former Yugoslavia and democratization of Albania jewelers proved to be competitive, keeping up the wide variety of goods and their proper quality appreciated both by citizens and seasonal tourists (Fig. 5). Jewelry producers, though they are not numerous, can still be regarded as the influential stratum of population in Shkodёr, Ulcinj (Fig. 6) and Prizren.

fig. 5 - Young consummator at the dyqan (ʻshopʼ) of Gjon Marku. Prizren. Kosovo. 2012. Photo of Alexander Novik.

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fig. 6 - Ulcinj, Monetenegro. View of the Old Fortress and new houses. 2014. Photo of Alexander Novik.

During the Ottoman period (beginning in the 14-15th cent.) jewelers created their objects not only for the town market and the nearest area, but also for distant regions where the beauty and quality of Shkodër objects had extremely high reputation and the very objects were really prestigious (Fig. 7).

Unfortunately, nowadays there are no more than six to seven craftsmen that still carry on their jewelry-producing traditions in Shkodёr, namely: Marin Gjoni, Teodor Pici, Nikolin Jakova, Loro Zojzi and some others (МАЭ № 1936: 24). They know how to work with precious metals as the masters of the past did: they create delicate filigree, emboss / chase silver plates, polish the jewels, recreate the adornments that existed on the territory of Northern Albania many centuries ago (Arti 1953; Arti 1976).

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their shops in recent years and produce mass items that are neither of high quality nor of artistic taste.

fig. 7 - Precious household good “Shoe”. Silver. Main techniques: granulation, filigree. Beginning of the XX century. Production: Shkodër, Albania. Collection of Bep Lufi, jeweler from Shkodër, Albania. 2009. Photo

of Alexander Novik.

All these craftsmen are Catholics. Traditionally, the craftsmen who dealt with silver in Shkodёr were of Catholic faith, while the Muslims did not practice this craft. Among the latter, especially with the expansion of Muslim influence, oriental values and points became quite important (Иванова 1982; Иванова 1994; Новик 1995). For example, golden jewelry and needlework gained their popularity (Новик 2008: 112-126; Novik 2009: 24; Новик 2009: 232-247; Новик 2010а: 288-293; Новик 2012: 290-303).

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Jewelry production in the towns of Shkodёr, Ulcinj and Prizren is mainly concentrated in the hands of Albanians. Jewelers’ dynasties have been working there for centuries. Cross-check questioning made during the expeditions shows that many of the craftsmen of Ulcinj had either moved there from the region of Kosovo (mainly from Prizren and Pristina) or are descendants of those who moved from Kosovo to the south of Montenegro. In the resort area of the former Yugoslavia the demand for jewelry has always been higher than in the in-land territories of the country. The demand formed the offer, so the jewelers went to work to the areas where they could sell their articles. The process of jewelers’ migration from Kosovo to Montenegro took place in the 1970-1980-s.

After the disintegration of Yugoslavia, especially in the 2000s, jewelers of Kosovo continued to move to the regions where their articles had the call. Comparing to the instable economical situation in Kosovo, Montenegrin market seems to be very attractive thanks to the increasing number of tourists.

Albanian jewelers also work in Budva, Podgorica and other towns, but there, unlike the situation in Ulcinj, not all of them like to demonstrate their ethnic affiliation. You can often see Serbian/Montenegrin names on the shop signs, while the owner’s mother tongue is Albanian.

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particular style of silver jewelry. It includes earrings, bracelets and pendants with zoomorphic and floral ornaments2.

Jewelers –natives from Kosovo– have also settled down in the towns of the Dalmatian region. Many craftsmen working in the filigree technique and in modern manners (moulding and punchwork) live in Split, Zagreb, Dubrovnik etc. It’s very characteristic that the items here are made of both gold and silver. Traditionally, rich citizens of seaside areas preferred items made of gold. Golden earrings in the technique of filigree and granulation (graining\incarnation) enriched the costumes of Dalmatian women. Nowadays almost all the jewelry shops of Split, Dubrovnik and other towns offer gold jewelry in ethnic style made by Albanian craftsmen, though only a few owners will take courage saying this.

In Kosovo itself, in the centers of Prizren, Pristina, Gjakova (Fig. 8) and some others there are only a few craftsmen that still have skills to make gold filigree and continue in doing so (МАЭ № 1861; МАЭ № 1862; МАЭ № 1936; МАЭ № 1937; МАЭ № 1987; МАЭ № 1988). This decay of craft was caused, in the first place, by the low wages paid. The high cost of the material, as well as the time intensive hard work of the craftsmen making golden filigree jewelry is very expensive. In most cases, the local population can not afford this jewelry. This decay of the craft was caused, in the first place, by the low level of paying capacity of people. The high cost of the material, a lot of work that the craftsman has to do and the time he has to spend make golden filigree jewelry very expensive. Local population in most cases can’t afford this jewelry. That is why some of the

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craftsmen who are really masters of golden filigree have moved to Croatia where there is a call for their work.

Fig. 8 - Albanian Symbol – Eagle with two heads. Silver, artificial corunds. Main techniques: filigree. 2010-s years. Author: Gëzim Zherka. Production: Prishtina, Kosovo. Dyqan (ʻshopʼ) of Gëzim Zherka. Prishtina. Kosovo.

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One of the important centers of weaponry production and decoration in the Western Balkans was Prizren (Haskuka 1976; Drishti 1977a; Drishti 1977b). This town was a crossing of trade routes from the inner regions to the sea-ports. Jewelers of Prizren were well-known for their skills during the Ottoman period and continue keeping this position nowadays (Новик 2010б: 447). By the way, there is a Kosovar proverb: it’s worth living in Pristina, enjoying your life and spending money in Prizren and dying in Gjakova. Jewelers’ shops (“shop” – Alb.

dyqan, -i < Turkish) have been one of the things that created

such a prestigious image of the town (Fig. 9).

fig. 9 - Brezi i nuses (ʻfiancee belt, belt for weddingʼ). Three items. Silver, gold plated silver. Technique: filigree. Modern work. Production: Prizren, Kosovo. Dyqan (ʻshopʼ) of Gjon Marku. Prizren. Kosovo. 2013. Photo of

Alexander Novik.

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(Fig. 10) are usually respected in their hometowns and downtown areas, and their reputation quite oftenly attains a certain national or even international publicity (we can name here the artist-jeweler Simon Shiroka from the former Yugoslavia).

fig. 10 - Jeweler working in the technique savat at own dyqan (ʻshopʼ) “Gjon Marku”. Prizren. Kosovo. 2012. Photo of Alexander Novik.

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